Within Range
by DustieRhoades
Summary: Kaidan Alenko and Io'ken Shepard both fire shots at the Spectre gun range. Shenko fic. Prompt Inspired. Cover art by xandrasketches (tumblr).
_4/18/16 A/N: Another tumblr prompt inspired tale. The way I say I love you: A taunt, with one eyebrow raised and a grin bubbling at your lips._

 _I actually ended up writing two for this same prompt because it turned out that I liked both of them! (This one is definitely the more tame of the two!)_

* * *

The sound of the gun going off cracked with a loud echo. The only hint that the target had been hit was a light puff of debris some 200 yards down the range.

A pleased grunt came from the woman before him.

"Nice."

"Thank you," she said, standing up, leaning the huge Black Widow against the divider. A lock of her hair had come loose and was hanging over her eye. It didn't bother her apparently because she didn't do anything to move it out of her line of sight.

There was a slight buzz as she pushed a button to pull the target back towards them.

His hand clenched against his leg as he fought the urge to reach over and push it behind her ear for her. There was a 100% surety that she would have swatted his attempt away though. When they were in the Spectre range she had made it clear that there was to be no PDA.

 _Such a shame_ , he thought. Her confidence with the variety of weapons available always got his imagination going.

The rifle was nearly as tall as she was yet she handled it with grace. Firing a gun like the Widow was something not all soldiers dared. The kick alone could dislocate a shoulder if you weren't careful. Confidence was part of it. A healthy trust in your own abilities also helped.

 _That was something_ , he admitted, _she had in spades_.

Keeping her hand on the button she turned to him and grinned.

"I'm so used to fighting at close range, I forget how satisfying it is to use one of these," she nodded toward the weapon, "I've definitely missed seeing a cannibal's head explode in my scope."

"Satisfying, yes," he agreed, although he hadn't had the pleasure himself.

"Very."

"You're such a lady," he laughed.

The buzzing stopped as she let the button go, "I am."

"Yeah…"

"So why'd you say it like I'm not?"

"Well, not many ladies would consider a spray of blood and brain matter pleasing."

"I'm not most ladies," she turned her back to him and pushed the button again.

 _Shit_. He shouldn't have said it like that, noting her change in posture.

"Shepard-"

"What?" She didn't even turn to answer him.

Pausing, he debated his options.

"You're right..." he trailed off when she didn't acknowledge him at all.

The target stopped in front of her and she pulled it down and out of the clips. Normally she would have looked smug when she saw the hole, centered in the outline's head, but she just sighed and tacked it back up. Next, her fingers moved quickly on the target's console and it started quickly buzzing back down the track. Glancing over he saw the distance she had programmed in. It was double what she had just done.

She coolly brushed by him to pull another loaded clip from the rack at the back of the range. Hefting the gun back up to the barrier, she pulled the used clip out and snapped in the new one.

The target was barely visible and from what he could tell, still moving. A shrill beep a few seconds later announced that it had completed its journey.

"Io," he tried to start again but was greeted by an icy stare. He bit the apology back as she settled her eye against the scope.

"You know, Kaidan," she stood, bracing the gun against her shoulder, "I expected more from you."

The rifle went off and he flinched at the noise.

"Because," another shot was fired, "you've seen," the last shot rang out and he watched the smoke swirl up from the barrel, "me naked."

She set the weapon down again and smirked at him, "And I figure you'd like to do so again."

Her eyes sparkled with mirth.

"God, I love you," he said, eyebrow raised, taunting her. A devilish grin bubbled behind his lips. Knowing he shouldn't, but wanting to anyway, he reached around her waist and pulled her close, brushing his lips against hers.

"Fuck off, Alenko," Io said, leaning back and playfully hitting him on the shoulder, "You're fighting dirty and I don't like it."

"I am," he ran a finger along her jaw and was happy when her eyelids fluttered as he released the slightest of biotic bursts, "but then again so are you."

"Hmm, yeah," her eyes opened and she bit her lip, "I know that watching me play with guns gets you going."

"True. So," he was shocked that she hadn't pulled away yet, "you're not mad?"

She laughed and then wiggled out of his grasp, "Had you going, didn't I?"

"I have to admit, I was pretty worried there for a second."

"Good. Sometimes I just have to remind you about some things at times," she bent again to pick up the rifle, "So, what do you say about getting out of here?"

The gun looked well at home in her hands, but he was thinking about them wrapped around something else.

Swallowing, he replied, "I think I'd like that very much."

"Good. Let's go," she turned to exit the range.

"What about your target?" he asked.

"Right. It's going to be a minute. I sent it pretty far down there."

"Yeah, I noticed. Trying to prove something?"

She smiled coyly, leaned the gun against her shoulder, and pushed the button. The buzz started and he waited for her answer, whenever she decided to give it.

The target fluttered up a few minutes later and he gawked a bit.

Cocking an eyebrow, she turned and finally retorted with the slightest bit of arrogance, "Remember Major, I always hit my mark."

Despite her three new shots, there was still only a single hole in the target.

Her strut as she left the range was as much of an admonishment as it was enticing.

 _I love that woman_ , he thought with a grin as he trailed after her, eager to get back to the Normandy.


End file.
